The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-11-03
SOME STARTLING FIGURES.
FEW MEN OF THE NEW STATES
NATIVES OF THE EAST.

Lines of Migration in the United States.
Facts Obtained from q Railroad Man.
The Breeding Ground Of American Men.
The South.
1t is historical fact that oil great migra-
tory movements of peoples of races have
been, with few exceptions, westward, along
the degree of latitude on which they were
born. In our country the men of northern
birth have almost always emigrated to the
northwest. Those of southern birth have
followed trails which led to the southwest.
A few weeks ago 1 was talking with two
comrades in the dirty Office of an i'll kept
hotel at Prescott, in Washington territory.
One of my comrades was bright, snappy
railroad official; the other was a farmer,
who cultivated 5000 acres of highly produc-
tive wheat land I had been travelling
through the marvellous wheat growing region
known as the Ralouse district, where the es-
tablished rules which control agricultural
operations in the Mississippi valley are ig
nored, and where the most productive land
lies on tho top of hills, and told my COM
rades what had seen. I dwelt strongly on
the fact that I had met but few men who
were from New England or from the north
eastern states in the region. When asked
the settlers with whom talked where they
came from they answered from Missouri,
from Iowa, from Arkansas, from Indiana,
from Tennessee, from Illinois, from Kansas,
from North Carolina, and at long intervals
one would reply that he had been raised in
one of the New England states. The fact
that New England was scantily represented
in the new states which are being created in
the west impressed me strongly, and it
troubled me strangely
said, as looked inquiringly at my COM
radcs, II do not understand why there are SO
| few New England men in this region" Tho
railroad official thrust his hand into the breast
pocket of bis coat and drew forth an enve-
lope, which he handed to me, saying In OK
PLANTATION:
"Iast December our company placed an
| advertisement In tho hands Of An advertising
agency to publish in all their newspapers.
This envelope" he tapped it with his index
| finger a3 he spoke, contains tho record OF
the answers we received during the first four
months Of tho year, and from what state
they wero sent Eead tho record, and you
will then understand why you DO not meet
New England men in the west"
/
of my coat Thnt night after wc had scpar-
ated I rcad tho list, and it sharply indicated
that tho railroad official had spoken truth
| fully. But the list also indicated that tho
southern people who live in tho old slave
states had ceased to emigrate. But l know
! that the southern people wero omigrating
westward in enormous numbers, and this
| knowledge made mo doubt the correctness Of
tho deductions tho railroad official had drawn
| from his list of letters Of inquiry received.
| So laid it away until could havc access to
that portion of the tenth census which relates
to the nativity Of the population Of the differ
emit states, Tho volume lies open before no
as write.
group tho Now England states and the
states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jcr
scy and Delaware for convenience Of illustra-
ton and as typical of the northeast This
group contained II ,576, ,O90 native born white
inhabitants in 1880. Ohio, Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri
and lowe having il 1880 a population Of 12,-
773, ,SN native born whites, group as states
settled in part, ard almost wholly in soTlo
cases, By New Englaoders, and use tho group
as typical of western states, to illustrate my
meaning.
To the figures: Tho total number Of letters
OF inquiry that werc received ct the railroad
Office in answer to tho advertisement, which
wns published in many hundred newspapers,
was 4, ,402. OF this number 161 werc sent
from New England, IL from New Jersey end
Delaware, while New YORK and Pennsylvania
sent 403, four -fifths of which werc from tho
western portions of those states. The total
number of letters sont from the first group
of states was 67L During the same time
1884 letter3 wero received from people ro-
siding in the western group of states. 1t is q
significant fact that moro letters of inquiry
were received from any one state which
have placed in the second group than wero
received from oil New England And it is
also significant, and indicative Of the strength
Of tho migratory instinct of the western peo
pie, that more letters Of inquiry were re-
ceived from the fer western states, in proper
ton to their population, than from any other
portion of the Union For instance, 400 let
tiers were received from Iowa, a compare
lively new state, and which contained /, ,353,
046 white people in 1880, and 1G3 were ro-
ceived from Indiana, an older state, which
had O white population of ], ,704, ,764 in $780,
Illinois, which had 2,44S,173 native white
population in 1880, sent 800 letters, while
Ohio, having 2,723, $50 native white popula-
ton, sent 254 letters. Kansas, one Of the
youngest states, and having \ native white
population of S42 211, sent 3G6 letters, and
Missouri sent 375 letterc, or 214 moro than
New England.
In the region included in the second group
OF states food is plentiful and cheap The
people are not overcivilized Large families
are raised It is today the greatest breeding
ground of American men. The migratory
instinct is strong In the peopla They are
venturesome and courageous and willing To
endure hardship. These people are western
bred, and are western in thought and feeling
In every fiber Of their bodies. II the migra-
tory instinct has become weak In the Puritan
stock which remained in New England, thu
nativity of the population Of the new states
, which lie beyond the Missouri river should
. show it, How il it'll In 1880 Kansas, ALLEGED
TO Be the beloved child Of slavery hatins
New England, contained Z ,5s5 pscpk d
!, New England birth. Up 70 1850 Illinois h&1
ssnt 1oc, ,o92 of her children 10 KananA Nh
souxi sent 66,2A Ohis asnt q, s,3oA u
diana furnished 77,oot smigyans - Ka.
ns Kentusky Forwarded 80 ,o7s Of beT blu
. | grass bred children - ths Prairie stats
, or 9,5s3 more than Eew England How
, Ii IL in Colorado New England supplies
, | IL ,15o inhabitants, a large proportion oi
them consumptives, TO that arid Land. Mis-
, souri, sent IL, 434 tough, hardy citizens 10 ths
highlands of Colorado. In Oregon, in 1880
there were 200 people from New England
| and 10, 754 from Missouri The same story i
told by the emigration statistics Of all th.